Theater in the Murnau region: Corona should not play a leading role

Created: 01/25/2022, 02:00 p.m

Hoping for summer: It's still freezing cold under Murnau Castle, but Michael Karrasch is already looking forward to sunny theater performances by the Freies Theater Murnau at this very spot in August.

© Jungwirth

The cultural workers in the Murnau region hope - above all - that the Corona rules, which many perceive as unfair, will soon be relaxed for their area.

Despite Omikron, those responsible have plans for this theater year.

Murnau/district

- 25 percent audience capacity is allowed in concert halls and theaters - that's sad and hardly worth it.

The Omicron wave is still dominating everything, and it's also getting on the nerves of the planning theater groups in the region.

But those responsible are not without ideas, especially since Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) recently gave hope that 50 percent of the audience capacity should soon be possible again.

A glimpse:

Because of Corona: Farmer's theater piece is on hold

The original Murnau farmer's theater looks back on an eventful 120-year history.

In 1902, the first players appeared in public with the play "Der Dorflump", and the association was founded in 1979. The list of plays that entertained the audience for decades is endless - until 2019. The rehearsals for the planned one are two years ago Comedy "Dumber than the police allow..." by Markus Scheble and Sebastian Kolb in full swing when the first lockdown ruins all plans.

The story of a superintendent who is transferred to a provincial police department, has to deal with incompetent colleagues and trifles, and hatches a plan to prove his destiny has been on the back burner for two years.

But Uli Pöttinger and his crew wish for nothing more,

Alien and a brand new play in Großweil

Thoroughbred actor Josef Daser, who has been running, directing and writing his own plays at the Neuwirtbühne Großweil for over 20 years, is also being severely slowed down by the pandemic.

In October 2020, the ensemble dares a new beginning with the piece "Braunschlag" under strict guidelines.

This is about a shady mayor who not only boosts tourism in the town with a staged Marian apparition, but also calls a Vatican investigator on the scene.

After the successful premiere in private company, it's over for the time being.

Revival in 2021, six performance dates - since then the play has been on hold again due to the Corona situation.

"With a capacity utilization of 25 percent, it's not worth playing - as soon as a capacity of 50 is allowed,

Comedy under Murnau Castle

Michael Karrasch from the Freies Theater Murnau is also finding it difficult to plan the planned open-air theater under the castle in August. Who directs? Who is playing? Can you set up a grandstand in summer? How many spectators are allowed in a performance? So many questions. After all, one topic has been off the table since last week. Nikolaos Boitsos will direct for the first time; Born in Greece, he runs the Uffinger Zimmertheater together with his wife Chiara Nassauer. Freies Theater has already successfully realized a number of projects with her, such as “Der Sandmann” last summer. "The plan is for us to perform a classic comedy under the castle several times at the beginning of August," says Karrasch. The narrow selection includes the play "The Doctor against Will" by Molière,the decision will be made soon. "There is always live music, and many motivated players are in the starting blocks," reveals Karrasch.

The team has already delighted the audience four times at this point with large open-air productions, after “Geierwally”, “Alpenkönig” and “Andreas Vöst” most recently with “Talisman” directed by Martin Müller.

"We submitted a video of this and won second place in the Bavarian amateur theater prize 'Larifari'," says the association's chairman proudly.

In autumn, the play "Die Rhinos" by Eugène Ionesco is on the rehearsal schedule, which is to be performed in the Barbara-Keller - if Corona allows it.